01. Bottomless-spicy-pineapple-margs-lunch and views across the city? Dangerous!
02. Dinner at Lagoon Dining – all delicious but I’ll be thinking about the pickled baby cucumbers with whipped tofu and chili oil, and the delicate salad of chrysanthemum, tofu and pine nuts for a while.
03. My last film for this year’s Jewish International Film Festival, a documentary, The Commandant’s Shadow. It follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the son of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, as he struggles with his father’s horrific legacy (Rudolf Höss’s life was portrayed in the film The Zone of Interest). Extremely confronting and the generosity and compassion shown by the Auschwitz survivor that he meets is astounding.
04. And as JIFF finishes, the British Film Festival gets well underway for me. Two films this week –
- The Salt Path – (based on the memoir by Raynor Winn). Made me really want to walk the South West Coast Path.
- Widow Cliquot – see it for the stunning cinematography alone, but an interesting story if you don’t already know it.
05. Program launch for the 2025 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival – securing tickets is a bun-fight but we managed to get a spot at a few events including an Austro-Hungarian buffet and a mid-century menu at a Robin Boyd’s Walsh Street house.
06. Every so often there is a themed spin class and this week was their best of the year – Chappell Roan. So much easier to push myself a little harder when I can sing along.
07. Listening: 50 Words for Snow – a podcast that examines words in various languages that have no direct English translation. It’s fascinating.
08. Piccolina’s ‘advent calendar’ gelato. It’s the Freckles that make it sooooo good.
09. Watching: Rivals (Disney) – based on the book by Jilly Cooper. Yes, it’s trashy, yes it’s excellent viewing (especially the day following a bottomless-lunch when you need some quiet time…). The first scene says it all 😀 But if you’re still in doubt, read this review –
…not to mention croquet, helicopters landing on the lawn, riding to hounds and not a line of dialogue that doesn’t end in an exclamation mark!
I hope there’s a Gruner Veltliner amongst the Austrian wines at the buffet plus Kaiserschmarrn for pudding or perhaps a slice of dobos torte.
One member of our book club was so inspired after our read of The Salt Path that as a retirement project she completed the entire SW Coast Path (in bits, over a long period) and then went on to do other long-distance trails in the UK.
So impressed! It’s now on my list of international walks to do (also on the list is the Dolomites, returning to Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast (only did a small part of it and it was one of the best places I’ve ever been), and the Oregon parts of the Pacific Crest Trail).
Your dinner sounds fabulous!
And, on a completely different note, that trailer for The Commandant’s Shadow looks incredible. I found The Zone of Interest absolutely fascinating and this would add another dimension to the story to make it resonate even more strongly. Thanks for sharing it: I hope others will be inspired to watch both films.